Dark Money Archives - The Arizona Sun Times

Founder of Major Democratic Dark Money Network Accused of Self-Enrichment

August 18, 2023August 17, 2023 Arizona Sun Times Staff

A complaint filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) alleges that the founder of the largest Democratic dark money network in the country is using its operations for his own financial benefit.

Fox News reports that the complaint was filed on Tuesday by Americans for Public Trust (APT), and targets any entities that are affiliated with Arabella Advisors, a consulting firm based out of Washington D.C. which manages numerous nonprofits serving as fiscal sponsors for left-wing dark money groups.

Dem Donors Plow Millions into Dark Money Group Aligned with Pro-Biden PAC: Report

August 3, 2023 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Donors made contributions to a dark money group associated with a super political action committee (PAC) supporting President Joe Biden’s reelection bid, according to The New York Times.

Future Forward PAC told the NYT in mid July it raised $50 million in 2023, but its recent Federal Election Commission filing indicates it only raised $67,000 during the first half of the year, and ended the filing period with less than $118,000 cash on hand. Donors likely contributed to the nonprofit tied with the super PAC, Future Forward USA Action, to avoid having to disclose their identities, according to the NYT.

Progressives Including Soros Funding Media in Arizona to Sway Elections

June 7, 2023June 6, 2023 Rachel Alexander

A group of dark money, shadowy progressive organizations are funding media outlets in Arizona, including The Copper Courier and the Arizona Mirror. Many of these groups are interconnected and appear to be attempting to influence elections. They are not registered as political organizations, however, which would require them to disclose financial information such as how much they contribute to Democrats, and that may be because the founders said they believe voters are more influenced by media than political ads.

Complaint Filed Against Senator Kyrsten Sinema over Campaign Spending

May 20, 2023May 19, 2023 Neil Jones

A group known as the Change for Arizona 2024 PAC (CFAPAC) filed a complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I) Thursday, alleging that she had misused her campaign funds.

“Specifically, Complainant alleges that Senator Sinema, through her Committees, illegally diverted funds that were donated to her for campaigning for federal office by making expenditures for her personal use and benefit,” according to the complaint.

Arizona Democratic Party Sues Secretary of State to Keep No Labels Off the Ballot

April 4, 2023April 3, 2023 Neil Jones

The Arizona Democrat Party (AZDP) filed a lawsuit Thursday against several state election officials and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) in an attempt to keep the newly qualified No Labels Party (NLP) from appearing on the 2024 state ballots.

“This undemocratic and outrageous lawsuit is a national disgrace,” says Ryan Clancy, chief strategist for the NLP, in a release emailed to The Arizona Sun Times. “Next time you hear this crowd talking about protecting democracy, remember what they are really doing is protecting their turf. No Labels is confident that the court will uphold the Secretary of State’s decision to certify No Labels in Arizona.”

Another Lawsuit Filed Against Arizona’s New ‘Dark Money’ Law over Potential First Amendment Violations

March 21, 2023March 20, 2023 Neil Jones

The grassroots advocacy organization Americans for Prosperity (AFP) filed a lawsuit in the Arizona District Court Friday in opposition to Arizona’s newly enacted “dark money” law, alleging that it presents possible first amendment violations.

“The First Amendment safeguards the right of individuals to donate to private advocacy organizations without undue risk that they will be subjected to their identities being disclosed or other chilling by the government,” according to the complaint.

Far-Left Dark Money Group Working to Sabotage Republican Investigations into Biden

February 3, 2023February 2, 2023 Arizona Sun Times Staff

As the House GOP plans numerous investigations into Joe Biden’s various scandals, ranging from government misconduct to his family’s questionable business ties, a far-left dark money group is organizing to deliberately sabotage those probes.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the Congressional Integrity Project (CIP) plans to regularly send information to the Biden White House to help combat the probes, including opposition research on the Republicans leading the investigations, poll data, and political ads.

Commentary: The Left’s New Scheme That Threatens Free Elections

January 29, 2023 Admin

Like a bad movie sequel, leftwing nonprofits like the Center for Tech and Civil Life (CTCL) are once again pumping millions of dollars in left-wing “dark money” into election offices across the country. Just like they did in 2020, these groups are looking for ways to skew elections and boost liberal turnout in battleground states. But this time, there’s a twist. CTCL and its allies aren’t just doling out eye-popping grants. They are aiming for nothing less than a shadow takeover of election offices. Through their new $80 million program, called the “U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence,” the left is targeting local election offices. The goal: push liberal voting policies and systematically reshape how our elections are run.

Arizona Senate President May Investigate Katie Hobbs for Requiring Donors to Contribute $250k to Dark Money Group

January 8, 2023January 7, 2023 Rachel Alexander

Arizona’s new Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs is facing criticism for secrecy surrounding the amounts of money that donors contributed to her inauguration events, which previous governors have disclosed in the past. It’s also been revealed that Hobbs asked the donors to contribute a quarter of a million dollars, with no explanation where the money is going. Arizona Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge) said he may conduct an investigation.

“I would think it might be something we would look into,” Shope told AZ Family. “We should have the right to know as a citizen what kind of contributions they’re getting.” State Senator John Kavanaugh (R-Fountain Hills) said he agreed.

Far-Left Dark Money Group Spent over $1.5 Billion for Left-Wing Causes in 2021

November 17, 2022November 16, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

A far-left dark money group, the largest in the nation, accumulated over $1.5 billion in anonymous donations to fund left-wing causes in 2021, according to recently-revealed tax forms.

Fox News reports that the network in question consists of five prominent nonprofit groups collectively managed by Arabella Advisors, a consulting firm based in Washington D.C. The five nonprofits are the Hopewell Fund, New Venture Fund, North Fund, Sixteen Thirty Fund, and Windward Fund. The same network spent another $1 billion in 2022.

Anti-Trumper Behind Dark Money Ad Attacking Kari Lake for Not Being Conservative Enough

March 4, 2022March 3, 2022 Rachel Alexander

A TV ad from an organization attacking Trump-endorsed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has been running on TV and radio. The spot criticizes her for a $350 donation she made to Barack Obama in 2008, well before she entered politics in 2021.

One of the men listed as leadership behind the little-known group, Freedom’s Future Fund (FFF), is Jason Roe (pictured above), who was forced to resign as executive director of the Michigan Republican Party last year for declaring that there was no election fraud in the 2020 election and that Trump’s loss was his own fault.

Five Voting-Related Ballot Proposals Seek to Make Arizona 2022 Ballot

July 9, 2021July 8, 2021 Rachel Alexander

Five ballot proposals addressing voting may be on this fall’s ballot if their sponsors collect enough signatures. Three of them, known as referendums, seek to stop legislation from becoming law, requiring 118,823 signatures each. The other ballot initiatives need 237,645 signatures each. Even if all the signatures are collected, a successful legal challenge could keep them off the ballot.